Five Cardinals lock up individual state bowling berths

DES MOINES — Newton sophomore Libbie Keith started out slow during the individual portion of the Class 2A regional bowling meet at GameDay Lanes on Monday.

But how you finish is usually more important than how you start and Keith was spectacular in the final two games of her three-game series inside Merle Hay Mall.

Keith recovered from her slow start and rallied to win the regional championship and clinch a second straight individual state berth.

“One of my spares in the first game was where I needed to be for my strike ball,” Keith said. “Coach (Seth) Banwell told me after I rolled it that it was my strike ball and to not move. So that’s what I did. I stayed in that spot for my second game and it was working. I picked myself up after bad shots and just kept a positive mindset.

“I’m super excited. Hopefully some of my teammates can come with me.”

Some of Keith’s teammates will be with her when the team heads to the 2A individual state meet at Maple Lanes in Waterloo next Wednesday.

Five Cardinal bowlers qualified for state in all. Keith will be joined by senior Kaitlyn Gifford and junior Bailey Hansen on the girls’ side and junior Logan Bown and freshman Austin Kennedy for the boys.

“This is all pretty amazing. I’m speechless,” Newton head bowling coach Christie Hughes said. “They have spent hours in the bowling alley. It was amazing to see them bowl lights out today.”

The Newton girls and boys teams competed in the team competition prior to the individual rounds. The top two teams for boys and girls based on 15 Baker games advanced to state and the top eight individuals for boys and girls also secured spots for individual state.

Keith’s three-game series of 593 was good enough to win the girls regional title. She bested Council Bluffs Lewis Central’s Sophia Klopenstine by one pin.

Gifford tied for sixth with a 512 and Hansen was eighth with a 511. On the boys’ side, Kennedy finished seventh with a 638 and Bown was eighth with a 607.

It took career games along the way for almost all five of the Cardinals to qualify for state.

Keith opened her series with a 159, which put her in 12th after the first 10 frames. She followed that up with a 201 and then rolled a career-best 233 to put her into the lead for good.

Gifford began her day with a career-best 202 and then rolled consistent rounds of 156 and 154 to stay in the top eight.

After two games, Newton had four in the top nine. Hansen was in the ninth spot but moved up after rolling a 181 in her third game. She opened with a 162 and had a 168 in game two.

It was the second straight individual competition that Hansen rallied in the final game to move up the ladder. She won the conference title a few days before with a late rally.

“I try to stay positive and get all the marks I can. I just knew I had to pick it up after the first two games,” Hansen said. “I didn’t think I made it so hearing my name was awesome. It was a good feeling.”

Kennedy started his day with a career-best 232 that put him in third after 10 frames. He followed that up with a 195 and finished with a 211.

Kennedy is headed to the state meet after not even starting the season on the varsity squad.

“I didn’t think I would even be top 20 coming in. But that first game changed everything,” Kennedy said. “I knew at that point I would have a shot if I kept things going.

“I just got into a rhythm and didn’t think about it as much. And going with a teammate is a whole lot better than going by myself.”

That teammate will be Bown, who started with a 222 and then rolled a 206. His 179 in the final game was good enough to hold onto the eighth and final state qualifying spot.

Bown’s 607 was 10 pins better than ninth. Hansen’s 511 was four pins in front of the ninth-place finisher on the girls’ side.

Sophomore Genessa Slings was in the mix for a state berth throughout the three games. She finished 10th overall with a 492 after rolling single games of 179, 162 and 151.

The other two Newton bowlers on the girls’ side were sophomore Beka Weithers (440) and freshman Nevaeh Bown (428), who were 17th and 18th, respectively.

Sophomore Owen Guldberg was near the top eight after the first two games but finished 15th overall with a 576 series. He had a personal-best 235 in the second game.

David Holmes (489) finished 30th, while Sebastian King (432) and Dallas King (351) were 39th and 42nd, respectively.

While Kennedy was unsure he’d be in the mix before the day began, Logan Bown had all the confidence he needed to secure his first state berth.

“My confidence is through the roof. That’s the mentality that I always have,” Logan Bown said. “To start off strong was big. But it was all about staying consistent over time. It was a grind from the start and it takes a lot of patience. It’s a long day, but it was worth it.”

The long day started with the team competition at 9 a.m. and the awards for both portions of the state qualifier took place after 5 p.m. There was a break between the two events for lunch.

There was plenty of suspense before the top eight individuals were announced. The coaching staff and fans felt good about Keith and Kennedy making it in, but the others were on the edge of qualifying heading into the final game.

“I knew I was close and probably on the line. So I was nervous,” Gifford said. “But once they said my name, my heart started beating again and I felt a sense of relief. And it’s great to be going with a few teammates, too.

“I came here today not expecting to make state. I just wanted to have fun with my team and try my best.”

Oskaloosa’s Trey VanWyk won the boys district championship with a 743 series. His day started with a 300 and a 248.

A pair of Urbandale Jayhawks — Trevor James (692) and Cody Reisland (689) were second and third, respectively.

Council Bluffs Lewis Central had the next three finishers after Keith on the girls’ side. Klopenstine (592) was one pin back of Keith while her teammates Aleesha Oden (575) and Callie Williams (569) were third and fourth, respectively.

Lewis Central’s Addee Murray was in the lead after starting competition with a 230 in the first game. She finished with a 507 series to finish ninth.